Liberatio
by Elessar King
Summary: Tales of masters and padawans, clones and generals, and the second rise of the Sith. An AU of what-should-have-beens, could-have-beens and finding things still end the same.
1. Meditation

_This story essentially spawned from watching the movies and thinking that man.. I would have written that differently. So I finally just did. The verse should explain itself with little explanation from me, hopefully, and the chapters—segments or scenes if you will—will jump around in the universe and that's an exercise for me to be able to explain the time jump without being too jarring. :D Anyway. _

_This story is dedicated to Master athenaleigh for encouraging me always, to kajexgrey for dealing with my idea whims LOL and for ibonekoen for being my soundboard.  
_

_Liberatio_

"_I am here because you are here."_

_Meditation_

"This place feels strong."

"Show some respect, Anakin."

They were in the middle of the woods, hardly the place where Anakin would see fit to remove his boots. Obi-Wan did, though, leaning against a tree to pull his boots off and setting them aside, looking at Anakin to do the same. The younger man sighed, but followed suit, standing bare-foot on the rocky ground.

He wasn't thinking about his bare feet when he followed Obi-Wan into the grove. It was made of stone and wood, trees twisted up through the rocks, and the stone parting to allow the trees to grow—both in alliance.

"This place is strong," Obi-Wan replied at last. He found a place in the middle and knelt down, resting his hands on his thighs. "Master Tholme told me once that the ancients visited from the afterlife. They could be voices, feelings, guidance. Even appearing in spirit."

There were faces, figures in the trees and the rocks. They weren't carved, all of them were smooth. It had taken Obi-Wan countless hours to make the monument because manipulating the molecular structure of an object wasn't one of his strong suits. But he was intent on making it in great detail.

"I don't know how true it is, if at all. It may very well be a legend that's been changed over time." Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin, smiling just a little. "I don't know if their spirits will find this place, but one can hope."

It brought him calm, Anakin could feel it. He hadn't felt Obi-Wan this relaxed in some time, not since they had pushed to take claim of Dantooine. This wasn't their home; they had settled here years ago while they nursed their wounds and decided how they would live on their own while being hunted by the newly born Empire. They still came back here when they could and it was as close to home as they had anymore. Looking at the faces of the Jedi he remembered, Anakin thought this place felt like them.

Obi-Wan had been considerate enough to add in what he remembered of Anakin's clan. It was hard to break a bond between master and student, something the older one knew all too well, but having broken bonds between an entire clan was just as traumatizing. Obi-Wan spent enough time trying to calm scared, hurt and lonely initiate Anakin Skywalker shortly after the purge that when it was Anakin's turn, he didn't let go of his brother until the man was ready. Qui-Gon's passing had been a painful one.

That's why his face had the place of honor. It looked like one of the busts of notable Jedi that lined the great library in the Temple. Anakin used to look up at the faces, imaging his bust being there one day and knowing he would be one of the greatest Jedi. His experiences had humbled him some; instead he wished they had had a chance to honor Qui-Gon Jinn instead. Then Anakin would have the place of honor next to him.

"Do you think we will ever see them again? Like the stories the ancients tell. They wouldn't be passed down if people didn't believe them."

Anakin watched as Obi-Wan opened his eyes again and let out a deep breath, keeping the concentration of meditation. "I don't know. I would hope so. There are many mysterious about the Force we do not know. And now we never will."

"I hope so too," Anakin said quietly. "Thank you for showing me this place."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "With everything that's happened, I hoped it would bring you peace."

Peace did not come easily. Both of them had changed. The Empire didn't know who Obi-Wan was, but they knew of Ben Kenobi and how he rallied support in the shadows, underground, and whispers in what used to be the chambers of the Senate on Coruscant. Years ago, they would have just been Separatist supporters, now they were the Rebellion because the Empire hoped the name itself would put citizens off of it. But Kenobi, older now, with his beard of experience and ginger hair that was no longer short, but flopped to one side over his forehead, was very persuasive.

Anakin—taller, broader, stronger, did not have an apprentice's short hair, but wore it longer and tied in the back out of his face. Because he wasn't an apprentice. There were no more apprentices. Instead, Anakin was a trader, smuggler, spy. He shifted in and out of the underworld and grew more accustomed to a life outside of the strict order of the Temple, even if Obi-Wan tried to keep as many of their traditions and teachings as he could.

"No more questions," he said. "Close your eyes, Anakin, meditate. We may not be able to come back here for sometime. Let the Force speak to you and clear your mind."

He tried. He closed his eyes and concentrated, breathing in and out slowly. They were the last of the Jedi and if they died, the teachings would die with them. But there were more ways than just death. Anakin couldn't concentrate, he could feel Qui-Gon's eyes on him. He could feel what Qui-Gon knew to be true, and he could feel his presence in this place. Anakin didn't know how much longer he could keep his secrets.


	2. Ceremony

_Ceremony_

Obi-Wan ran his fingers down the long braid that laid neatly against his shoulder. It had gotten long over time. He had been a Padawan for nearly ten years, he should have been ready to face the Trials soon. There would be no Trials, there didn't need to be anymore.

"I don't want to cut it off," he said.

"I know." Qui-Gon's presence was gentle and calming, as was the hand rubbing his apprentice's back. "But it is necessary. It's time, Obi-Wan."

A year ago, he would have been proud to hear his Master say that, to be promoted to a Jedi Knight and served the Order next to his mentor. He knew he shouldn't be so emotionally attached to a symbol, but under the circumstances… Obi-Wan turned his head away. "Can't I just keep it? I could hide it, no one would see it. I'm not ready, Master."

Qui-Gon didn't point out the change in attitude, how Obi-Wan would have insisted he was ready and eager to go to the next stage of his life. This was different now, the universe had changed in a way they were entirely unprepared for and despite their training to give feelings of loss and despair to the Force, they were both hurting. One didn't survive genocide with a calm demeanor.

"You cannot keep your braid, Obi-Wan, it must come off," Qui-Gon said. "You are a Jedi Knight now. You've faced harder Trials than any Jedi has seen in his or her lifetime and survived them, that is to show how strong you really are."

But he didn't feel strong. The words made his eyes burn and he wiped at his face quickly, trying to swallow down the lump in his throat. "Do it," he whispered. Before it hurt any more. Once it was gone, it would be over.

Qui-Gon's touch was soft, he didn't tug at the hair, and in a swift cut, the braid came off in his hand. He would keep it; a sign of the one he had trained to knighthood and a memory of the boy who was as close to a son as he would ever have in this life. That was the way it should be and if they were going through the ceremony, then Qui-Gon still would have cut off it off himself. He would have told Obi-Wan how proud he was of him, that he was to become a great Jedi, and then Obi-Wan would be presented for the first time as a Jedi Knight.

There were no Jedi to present him to, no one left to see him rise to his new rank. That was what ached so much. Garen, Bant and Ferynt, they would have all been waiting for him. Ferynt would have made Knight first, of course, they all knew that because he was just that determined, but they would be waiting to congratulate him and welcome him to a new stage of life. They were gone too.

"Come here, stand up." Qui-Gon stood looking down at him, even as Obi-Wan got to his feet, chin downward and the gentle weight of his braid missing against his shoulder. His master tipped the boy's chin up, meeting his eyes. "I am so very proud of you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Never forget that. I am proud of you."

The tears welled up again and he latched on, clinging to the back of his master's cloak. He wasn't worthy, he didn't pass the trials. He wasn't ready to face the universe on his own. His friends weren't there by his side to help, nor were the other masters he looked up to and now Qui-Gon was saying that he would no longer lead the boy, but that they would walk side-by-side. It was just that.. he didn't know the path.

Qui-Gon didn't admonish him for his grief, for which he was grateful, and the large hand rubbing his back providing some comfort. "Now is the time to be brave, little one," he said quietly. "This is beyond my experience to teach you as well. We have to walk this road together."

"Yes, Master," he said, muffled into his cloak. Obi-Wan pulled back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and gave a weak smile. "Only as long as you know the way because I don't."

"I do know where to start," Qui-Gon replied, brushing his thumb across his Padawan's—his Knight's—cheek, wiping away the last of the tears. "Come. It is time."

They walked out of the living quarters of the ship together, down the hallway to the cargo hold and the ramp resting on the damp ground of the forest world. The air was moist here, quiet and gentle as if the planet's sun smiled at them instead of glared. Obi-Wan stood at the edge of the ramp, looking down at the ground even as Qui-Gon's hand came to rest on his shoulder.

He looked up finally as Qui-Gon held the braid out in his hand, uncurling his fingers to show it as proof, and there was the sharp, clamping sound of the clones coming to attention. "Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said loudly, offering it up to the universe.

Obi-Wan looked back at Cody who stood in front of his troops, bringing his hand up in a smart salute. "We're proud to have you, Knight Kenobi," he replied. Then he glanced back at the men gathered in ranks behind him. "Welcome your new commander, boys."

They were respectful in their cheer, but it was much more than a salute. It was the cheering of the Jedi gone, of their brothers, of their future and the courage to their new leader to take his first steps. It wouldn't have been like this at the Temple, but Obi-Wan began to have the faintest feeling that they could do this. They could continue to survive. And if they could survive, then they could fight.


	3. Loyalty

_Thank you for all of the feedback, I appreciate it very much :D I really hope all of you are enjoying the ride. This particular part came about because I just happen to like Cody and Rex a lot. They're just awesome. So they need to stick around, clearly._

* * *

_Loyalty_

By the time Cody got the call, he knew what was already happening throughout the galaxy. Tango company on Felucia with General Aayla Secura, Boomer and his company on Mygeeto with Ki-Adi-Mundi. Cody always liked Mundi—man had a good head on his shoulders. General Plo, too, and Stass Allie. Master Yoda. The Jedi Temple itself. A special assault of that magnitude called for the strongest companies of the 501st to quell the so-called uprising. As Cody turned back to the silenced field of battle, he didn't see much of an uprising at all.

Commander Cody didn't have much of a connection with the Force; clones weren't engineered that way. It would be dangerous, that was Jedi territory and he was more than willing to let them keep their hokey religions and laser swords. But even felt it as the darkness settled over the universe like a cloud that had been lurking there the entire time. And he knew as soon as he did that General Jinn did too.

"Sir. New orders?" Waxer asked, shifting his weapon in his hands. They had never needed to see each other's faces under their helmets to garner trust before, but now Cody would have preferred to see Waxer's eyes when he answered. Or Tank, Bek, Manny or even Rex.

"New orders," he said. That was all that needed to be said. They all knew, they had been briefed, and clones carried out orders, that was their job. They were trained well at their job. Cody had never known a clone to refuse orders before, not ever.

They didn't speak of it. Tango company wouldn't have either, even if General Secura slugged through the muck and disease-infected swamps with the rest of them. Or Boomer and his boys, even though Mundi insisted on them personally and told them face-to-face how much he trusted them and valued their loyalty. And the companies on Coruscant… The Chancellor's hand-picked battalion of troops rotated back from the front lines only to face the hardest job they ever had. Cody's hand stilled on his weapon and he looked down the hill in front of them. They couldn't ask for a better set-up.

Kenobi nudged a fallen droid with his foot and crouched down to examine it, digging out a datachip. "This is the field commander, Master. This might be some use to us," he said, holding the chip out to him.

The older Jedi looked far off, somewhere distant and troubled. He knew, he had to, Cody could see it. But he took the chip from the Padawan. They had ended countless battles this way. They had taken the wounded back to the transports together, and survived to fight another day together because General Jinn refused to be anywhere else than with his men and young Commander Kenobi right by his side. Jinn looked up at him. "Cody, make sure the area is secure and the wounded are accounted for," he instructed.

But Cody clenched his jaw under his helmet and stood his ground. He shouldn't have waited this long; he hesitated and it cost him. "I'm sorry, sir," he said stiffly. "I cannot comply."

Jinn's brow furrowed. "Cody," he said sharply. But it was the boy who jumped to his feet that ignited the fire.

It didn't surprise him, Kenobi was perceptive, he should have known too. They were prepared for that possibility. They knew their strengths and weaknesses from countless campaigns together. They also knew that even if the Jedi were to fight them all, they were outnumbered and clones were far more accurate than droids.

So when the boy reached for his weapon, it was Bek who took the first shot. Automatic reflex. Cody's finger remained solid and unmoving on the trigger. The hit was minor, striking Kenobi's upper arm and spinning him around in his same momentum toward his master. But the next move was Cody's. He fired before Jinn or anybody else could react and it was Bek who fell.

"No, cease fire!" Cody shouted, stepping down with his back to the Jedi whom they just threatened rebellion against and his weapon turned on his brothers. He reached up and tore his helmet off, throwing it in the mud and kept his aim steady. "Cease fire! I'm issuing new orders."

Cody could fell the steady pressure of Jinn's gaze on his back and he turned to face him, caught in the place between two dangers. He wasn't afraid of being killed there. He was afraid of making the wrong decision. If there was anything Cody was trained for, it was being a good soldier and if the Chancellor had wanted to give him an order that countered everything he knew, then he shouldn't have allowed clones like him to be trained for independent thought.

"General Jinn," he said. Cody dropped down to one knee in front of him and then the other, dropping his weapon in the mud where they had been fighting next to his helmet. "Chancellor Palpatine.. he issued new order 66. He declared all Jedi to be killed." Cody looked up at Jinn and the boy held against his side protectively. "I am refusing that order."

Jinn's lightsaber was in his hand, ready to be activated if any of the clones even moved. But no one did, no one even flinched. It wasn't until Rex stepped forward and knelt in the mud next to Cody that anyone even breathed. Cody turned his head just slightly, catching a glimpse of Waxer out of the corner of his eye. "Any of the rest of you want to follow Order 66 and I'll shoot you myself. From now on, 501st Delta company follows General Jinn's orders and no one else."

Slowly, he could hear the sound of reluctant brothers questioning themselves, their commander and their existence before they followed his example and knelt down in the mud in front of Jinn and Kenobi. Only Bek laid on the ground. It wasn't until General Jinn placed his lightsaber back on his belt that Cody breathed a little easier.

"We have a lot of work to do," Jinn said. "We need to leave here at once."

Cody looked up at him again, breathing out. They had just lost everyone they knew, everyone they were close to and the pain on Kenobi's face was not from the burn on his arm. He never heard Jinn's voice waver. It was as steady as the rock of a man who stood in front of him. If Cody had just lost his brothers, he would have gone on a rampage until they were all avenged.

"We're on our own now, sir," Cody said.

Jinn nodded in agreement, putting his other arm around his Padawan protectively. "Yes we are."


	4. Trust

_Trust_

"_Jedi strive to overcome fear." The fact that they still felt it was left unsaid. Rex didn't need to hear it, maybe he didn't even want to hear it from the boy stretched out across from him, close to the fire for their only source of heat. The planet was a bitter cold at night and while they looked like they were reclining around a campfire, they were waiting for pick-up. Kenobi's leg was broken. Rex had blaster wounds that had eaten through his armor. They were trying to keep each other awake._

"_So do we," Rex said. "A good soldier can't ignore fear, but you don't let it stop you. You can't. Or else your brothers are going to die and it'll be your fault."_

"_Are you afraid now, Rex?"_

_The clone looked across at the young Jedi. "Yes, sir."_

_Kenobi drew his hands back into his sleeves to try to keep them warm and he looked into the crackling edges of the fire. "I am too."_

_They had been on assignments before but Kenobi gained Rex's trust on that mission. It was the conversations in the most dire circumstances that stayed with him more than the victorious ones. He knew the Jedi was a quiet, sensitive boy who proved his worth keeping up with the rest of the clones and going further. He was confident too, intuitive and proficient with anything in their arsenal. But knowing about Kenobi didn't mean he knew Kenobi, and now he did. Now Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of his brothers._

Kenobi never liked the medical droid. Probably a lot of memories associated with that thing. Rex wouldn't say that he was wary of the bot because of memories, but he did know from experience that medical droids were often less than gentle and with the amount of times both of them had been at the mercy of the droid, he really couldn't say he blamed him. There were memories of pain and blood on the battlefield and then there were memories of being jabbed in the neck by a soft-spoken droid. It was the latter that made Rex keep his distance.

He kept his distance from the boy too. But Kenobi hadn't told him to leave, Rex just assumed that the kid wouldn't want him to be around. In fact, he hadn't opted for the medical droid either. It was Lucky who was sealing the wound on his arm. Rex folded his arms, watching the bacta seal the wound and the bandage go over top and the way that Kenobi looked across at an empty wall in the treatment room of the cruiser.

The two of them saw the inside of this place a lot. Obi-Wan had the scars to prove it and so did Rex. Maybe that's why he wanted to see that the boy was okay, that's why he couldn't tear himself from the doorway. Cody hadn't been by yet, he would later, and General Jinn was on the bridge because General Jinn trusted them. After all, the clone who shot his Padawan was already dead.

_Neither of them wore armor, it would have been too loud, bulky and obvious. Kenobi was clearly a lot more comfortable with darting between the large rocks, finding a place to hide and then moving to the next one. He scrambled over them like it was a game, clinging to one and jumping to another, then rolling around and crouching, squeezing between two rocks that didn't seem wide enough._

_Rex was a formidable soldier and excellent recon officer, but even he was having trouble keeping up with a Jedi in his element. They raced to the top and Rex kept low, letting Kenobi take the faster route. _

_Then they found themselves with their backs pressed against a rock, shoulder-to-shoulder and squeezed down as much as they could manage to avoid detection. In the moment, Rex glanced over at the younger man. Kenobi was the picture of calm, but his eyes were elsewhere. Rex knew that look too, he was racing ahead, calculating the next move and pushing onward up the hill even if they were pinned down by a recon droid. The very second it was safe, Kenobi sprung into action again._

_So they stretched out at the top of the hill, looking down into the Seps' installation. A two man infiltration job. In and out. Simple. Except nothing was ever simple. Rex liked it that way though. He looked down at the installation with the visual amplifier, taking in all of the angles he could manage from their vantage point._

"_Squad to the north, three droid teams moving along each perimeter with two guards on every door," he said, lowering the amplifiers. "Sounds complicated."_

_Kenobi nodded in agreement. "There's another set of guards who come from the inside every twenty minutes and the guard changes on schedule at 43 minutes of every hour." He smiled briefly. "Sounds like fun."_

_When Rex had been paired with the young Jedi Commander, he wanted to make the best of it, but wasn't entirely certain it would go well. It might not go well at all. But he was starting to like Kenobi all the same. "Yes, sir," he replied. "That it does."_

The kid still hadn't looked at him. He hadn't looked at anyone really, not even Lucky. Hadn't said anything else. Not that Kenobi was always the most talkative in the universe, in fact he was pretty reserved with a rare and dry sense of humor.

Rex, the clone who would charge head first in against a Rancor, found that he didn't want to be the one to break the ice. Not even as Lucky left the two of alone. But he had to step up and do it. They weren't going to make it far if they didn't know where each other stood after the recent events on the planet.

He stepped forward, walking over to stand in front of Obi-Wan and the young Jedi finally looked up at him. "Sir," Rex said. "Just wanted to make sure you're all right."

"Just a small burn, Rex, I'm fine." Kenobi slid off of the table and onto his feet, reaching for his robe, but by the movement of his injured arm, he was still fairly sore. He seemed to consider it for a moment and Rex didn't make a move until Kenobi did. The young man didn't look at him as he spoke, but the words were enough. "Can you give me a hand with this?"

"Yes sir," Rex replied smartly. Grabbing the edge of the cloak, he pulled it over Kenobi's arm gently so he could get to the other side.

"Thank you, Rex." Kenobi laid his hand on the clone's shoulder briefly, but they walked out together. They'd be okay, Rex thought. They didn't say much, but they didn't need to; they'd fought back to back in battle and their actions spoke much louder. He knew Kenobi could have pulled his cloak on himself. He just wanted to make sure Rex knew that their trust was still intact. And Rex was determined that it would never be questioned again.


	5. Refuge

_Finally back to working on this.  
_

* * *

_Refuge_

When they discovered Anakin, he was 9 years old and Obi-Wan had only just turned twenty; just a few months before the clones fired their first shots in Order 66.

When they went back to the Temple, they left Cody and the others in orbit as a quick escape. No one questioned a garrison of clones on a transport waiting for deployment over Coruscant, not after the Jedi rebellion had been quashed. The official word was that the Temple was off limits for anyone without official clearance from the new Emperor himself. But there were clone guards waiting for the Jedi to return. It was their home, it was where they would go for safety and protection when something went wrong.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan knew better than to go expecting anything other than trouble. It was just short of a miracle that they managed to slip in undetected until the very threshold of the Temple, and that was when they met the guards. It was the first time Obi-Wan would see the Temple in eight months; the first time he'd step into the halls without the accompaniment of his Padawan braid.

It was the last time they'd see the Temple for a very long time. But the images would stay with them for the rest of their lives. Obi-Wan had visions of it. Horrific, terrible visions that made his blood run cold.

The clones were no match. Obi-Wan didn't feel any better deflecting their shots and executing a swift killing maneuver. These men looked like Rex and Cody and the others they had grown so close to—a danger of attachment. He couldn't afford to hesitate just because Cutter was firing on him from the top of the staircase, and Cutter had been one of Master Luminara's lieutenants. Knowing that clone had been in Rex's cohort and should have been trusted had to be changed. And it was the reason Cody and the rest waited for them.

He killed Cutter. One stroke and stepped away, not looking down at him but eyes forward. Eyes always forward. The danger would never pass and the Temple would be left burnt and empty as a tomb and memorial for what happened here.

When the firing stopped, when the last of the clones fell down, the great hall became silent. Just the sound of the distant fountains and two pairs of boots on the tile. Obi-Wan stopped, looking up at the pillared doorway that led to the stairs. Emotion was heavy here. He didn't cry for them, the pain was still too new, but the weight of it brought him to his knees. It felt like he couldn't breathe. There was fear here, anger, terrible rage, and grief. So much grief.

Qui-Gon placed his hands on Obi-Wan's shoulders, but even his warmth felt just a little colder for what they had seen. "We must go," he murmured.

Obi-Wan looked up at him. His master's eyes were forward too, his chin held upward and his brow knit together in concentration. "We shouldn't have come back, Master."

"Yes we should. We were led here for a reason, whether it's to see that this never happens again or.." His voice trailed off. He swallowed. He ached; his voice cracked anyway. "Or to see it one last time. The Force has a reason for us to be here, Obi-Wan."

But the Force didn't start at the Temple. They could rebuild this place somewhere else. But it didn't mean that the Temple wasn't home and being struck at home was to be struck in the heart.

He got back to his feet and moved on.

Obi-Wan saw him first, and he felt the boy before he even saw him. He had no idea how a youngling could have possibly survived such a fight, even hiding in one of the ventilation shafts. The clones were very thorough, but they had help. Many of the wounds they had seen were caused by lightsaber. Clones couldn't sense Jedi nearby, but another Force user could. There had to be something special about this boy if he was able to survive.

"Master!" he called out, but turned back to the half-collapsed hole where the boy was hiding. Obi-Wan held out his arms and the boy flinched, trying to curl up tighter. "It's okay now, friend. It's safe. We're Jedi too."

Anakin was dirty, hungry and scared, clinging to Obi-Wan's cloak by the time Qui-Gon reached them. Obi-Wan recognized the boy, but they only knew each other by name. Now, as far as they knew, they were the last three Jedi left in the galaxy. Qui-Gon reached forward and touched the boy's head. "You're safe with us, little one."

As Obi-Wan carried him back the way they came, Anakin didn't say a word. His hands tightened with handfuls of his cloak sometimes, but he didn't speak. Not even when they took the transport back to their ship and he saw clones again for the first time since the massacre. It wasn't the clones he was afraid of, Obi-Wan noted.

He could feel Qui-Gon watching as he helped the boy clean up, bandaged his burns and wrapped him in a warm blanket. The boy needed protection from both of them, but Qui-Gon had stepped aside and let Obi-Wan do the work. He was a knight now and it should have been his turn to care for a padawan.

The Master must have known that they needed it. He must have been listening to Obi-Wan's feelings through their bond, but Qui-Gon always did have a knack for knowing what to say. Once Anakin was settled, looking up at both of them with bright, teary eyes, Qui-Gon walked over and knelt down beside the bed.

"You are brothers now," he said. Reaching out, he placed one hand on the side of Obi-Wan's head and one hand on the side of Anakin's. "This is important that you know this. There are no more Masters and Padawans, so you are brothers. That bond should be much stronger and more important than anything else."

The older man smiled gently. "You need to take care of each other now. The universe will not do that for you."


End file.
